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No back problems here, but I love light guitars. My ES-125 is the lightest guitar I own. Love it! But my Modern Player Thinline Tele P90 is just as light and much less expensive ...
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02-23-2019 04:54 AM
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Hamer newports and Gibson CS-336s are routinely in the 6 lbs range. For the more non-traditional approach, a chambered Kiesel Holdsworth is often a featherweight.
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My poor back always thanks me whenever I play my 5.3 pounds '59 125, light and also acoustically resonant for a laminated
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Sadowskys are light....but expensive...
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Someone already mentioned an Eastman 503CE. I have one as well as an ES-125 and the Eastman is almost as light. I actually just listed mine for sale and had the pickup changed to a Lollar Imperial. As others have mentioned, it has a good acoustic voice and is a pleasure to play.
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Doug,
No "lean in" with the Dynarette. The cushion rests on my left thigh with the body between my legs. The L-5 is deep which maybe prevents the lean (but comes with other issues).
I have tried the Dynarette on my right thigh. This does put it too high to play comfortably for long because of the 17" bout on the L-5. For a smaller archtop this could be just the ticket.
I would head down to the local craft store, buy some foam, and rough out a few variations of the design to try. You may be surprised that you can fine some combination of cushion depth and position that works for you.
I advocate for this simply because I wouldn't likely ever play this wonderful instrument I have if not for the Dynarette (or something similar).
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It should be noted that a solid body or thin-line guitar plays very differently on a Dynarette than a full sized archtop. Because the height reduces towards the body side of the cushion, a solid body is not raised nearly as much as an archtop. It should also be noted that there are two sizes. The smaller size with a solid body plays even lower still.
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Godin Montreal Premiere 6 1/2 lbs
Epiphone Johnny A 6 1/2 lbs
I'd stay way from all ES 335 style guitars as they are around 8 1/2 lbs.
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Doug, I feel you. I really wanted a Les Paul Gold Top with P90s but 20 years of military service has left me disabled at this point with back, neck, knee, and shoulder damage, as well as having removed my pancreas (with auto islet transplant), gall bladder, spleen, appendix, and part of my small intestine. Wasn’t supposed to survive 2017 but the surgery saved my life. I play mostly sitting at this point but it beats not playing. I can stand for one or two songs, but that’s about the time limit I can stand in one place even without an instrument. If I can walk around a little, maybe four songs. If you can swing a good stool, it is worth it. I have a nice padded stool and it has a crossbar just the right height for me to put my left heel on.
I too have a Godin 5th Avenue, and bought the acoustic version and just installed a floating Charlie Christian pickup on it (TODAY!). I hope to post a sound check here in the next day or two. I love the way it plays, but I play also classical and so I actually prefer a wider, flatter radiused neck. I just got this Godin a couple weeks ago (MY FIRST ARCHTOP!) and am beginning to learn jazz. I’m not good at all at it yet, but I can “make a joyful noise” and be satisfied with my goofing around and learning (for now).
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I second that several of the single pickup Eastmans are very light. I often play their Frank Vignola model, which is a 15" body and has a floating Johnny Smith pickup. Very light guitar and super comfortable. It's one of their more expensive models but a fine guitar. An AR503-CE is nearly as light and would do the trick most likely. There are more of those out there as well so you can find deals on a used one occasionally.
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A tele thinline can be around 6.5 lbs, and an Epiphone Casino 5.5 lbs.
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My Tele thinline is 2.9 kgs (6.38 lbs) and my ES-125 is 2.4 kgs (5.28 lbs).
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What kind of floating Charlie Christian pickup did you install on your Godin 5th ave. acoustic?
Thanks
Doug
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I contacted Pete Biltoft at Vintage Vibe Guitars. He had me take measurements and built the pickup to make sure it had the right string clearance.
Originally Posted by Doug B
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Epiphone Casino 'Coupe' is the smaller body version of the Casino, and even lighter. Also less prone to feedback. And doesn't neck-dive like some of the other smaller hollowbodies. Good luck with the spinal arthritis. A tilt-back chair with a convex back that pushes right into your spine can help tremendoesly.
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This is the lightest guitar I have:
Plays surprisingly very much like a normal guitar ;-)Last edited by Little Jay; 06-01-2019 at 08:13 AM.
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My ha'penny worth: a PRS JA-15. I think mine weighs nothing...OK, under 5 pounds. I am just a little bigger than you are, a whopping 1.25"-don't take away that quarter inch, mate- and it feels like air.
It is an immensely versatile guitar. Slap some flatwounds on it like the Labella Black Nylon Sheer Silk Stockings...brrrrr, need a cold shower...good to go.
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This is the other hollow body guitar that I was turn between when I got the 5th Avenue.I find one on Facebook Marketplace for $400 and had actually agreed to a deal since I was driving to Kansas City to see a friend asked it was on my way. But in the end I had heard to many people say they didn't care for the Epiphone pickups in the Casino Coupe. So I found this 5th Avenue for $325 and thought I was getting the Kingpin and figured I was saving enough that I could upgrade the pickup in it if it wasn't what I was looking for. In the end, I realized that the acoustic model was the perfect foundation for the inexpensive jazz box I wanted to build. So I emailed Pete and we designed the specs of the pickup over email and voila! Originally Posted by strumcat
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My Danocaster Telecaster copy is 6lbs 4 oz. Many of his Tele's are lightweight.
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The best choice is Eastman 371. Mine is actually just under 5 lbs. I've owned almost all of jazz guitars in the last 60 years of playing. This guitar is the one I play everyday. It never leaves the stand. I have the 17"ers stored away in closets.
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There are some good points here. The Dynerette does indeed come in two sizes. I am about 5' 9.5" (shrinking with age according to the VA). I purchased both sizes of Dynerette, and the smaller one is the one I use for classical guitar. I never considered using it for my Gibson Citation or Eastman FV-880CE-SB, but will certainly give that a try. Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
One thing to consider with the Dynarette - you are balancing your guitar on it. What that means is that there is nothing holding it from falling except your hands and body, unlike a guitar strap. This isn't a bad thing at all, but something to consider. It takes using it for a while to get used to it.
Tony
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Where is most of your back pain .... lower due to the arthritis? Can you sit for any amount of time with feet flat on the floor? If so what seat height is best for you?
If you can tolerate the weight of a guitar on your thigh in a natural comfortable neutral seated position on of the Dynarettes or another guitar support may be ideal.
Classical Guitar Supports and Rests | This is Classical Guitar
If you find that you are leaning over the guitar and this loads your spine you will need to play with position and guitar shape and size to find what works.
I have used this for years:
Home - The Original Guitar Chair
It was designed for classical players but it works great for my ES-335 with a strap ... and the back supports and reminds me to stay upright and not leaning over at
any point. I believe that since these are built one at a time ... they can make the seat height whatever you desire.
One of the hallmarks of lower back pain is that stretching and focused movement will improve pain ... may be worth consulting a physical therapist for suggestions.
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The answer seems pretty obvious to me - get a much lighter strat or tele. 8-9 lb strat - that's a *&^%$ boat anchor. Where are you located? I have a 5 1/2 pound tele for sale if you are interested, and I can probably get it closer to 5 pounds. Hey, it's been only three years since you started this thead... Originally Posted by Doug B
Last edited by Hammertone; 09-01-2022 at 02:33 PM.
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Tim Bram
Home | timbramguitars
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I’ve built a couple of very lightweight thinline Warmoth partscasters. I need a light weight guitar for standing playing, preferably <= 5.5lbs.
I just picked up a Sadowsky FV model which is in my weight range, but it’s not cheap.
For seated playing the weight hardly matters for me, but I prefer no larger than a 16” lower bout for ergonomic reasons.
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